Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
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Adolfo Ruiz Cortines (30 December 1890 – 3 December 1973) was President of Mexico from 1952 to 1958, representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He is perhaps best remember for granting women the right to vote in presidential elections.
Life
Ruíz was born in the port of Veracruz, Veracruz, and there he completed his early education. His father died when he was an infant, and he quit school at the age of 16 in order to work in a textile mill and as an accoutant to support his family. In 1912, he moved to Mexico City, and as a supporter of Francisco I. Madero, he fought against the political rise of Victoriano Huerta. He joined the military in 1914, primarily working as an administrator. In 1921 he began working in the Office of Social Statistics, and from 1926-1935 he served as director of that office. From 1937 to 1940, he served as a federal deputy, and then from 1944-1948, as governor of Veracruz. He worked for the presidential campaigns of Manuel Avila Camacho (1940) and Miguel Alemán Valdés (1946). In 1948 he became the Secretary of Government under Alemán, replacing Héctor Pérez Martínez, who died of a heart attack while serving. Ruíz then succeeded Alemán as president in 1952. Following his term, he became a consulting economist for the government, serving until 1967. He died six years later.
Presidential term
As president, Ruíz attempted to promote national unity, honest government, and a lower cost of living. He established minimum prices for various crops, thereby improving price stability and increasing production. He invested heavily in communications and transportation, as well as public education. In April, 1954, he oversaw a severe devaluation of the peso. However, he is perhaps best known for being the president who increased the political rights of women, granting the right to vote and the right to be elected.
References
- Mexican government biography (http://elbalero.gob.mx/historia/html/gober/a_ruizcortines.html) (Spanish)
- Online biography (http://usuarios.lycos.es/Aime/rcortines.html)
- Camp, Roderic A. Mexican Political Biographies. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona, 1982.
| Preceded by: Miguel Alemán | President of Mexico 1952–1958 | Succeeded by: Adolfo López Mateos |